Conch Chowder Recipe – Pemo’s Restaurant
Pemo’s Restaurant
Newcastle, Nevis
September 12, 2006
Conch Chowder Recipe Ingredients:
1 pound conch, trimmed, tenderized
3 tablespoons strained lime juice
5 tablespoons tomato paste
4 strips bacon, chopped
3 tablespoons oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 ribs celery, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, seeded, finely chopped
1 Scotch Bonnet pepper, seeded, finely chopped
4 tomatoes, seeded, chopped
1/4 cup rum
1 pound potatoes, peeled, diced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
Salt, pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Conch Chowder Recipe Cooking Method:
Cut the conch into 1/2 inch pieces and place in a bowl. Add the lime juice and tomato sauce and mix well; set aside to marinate.
Meanwhile, in a large stew pot, cook the bacon until browned. Pour off the fat. Add the olive oil, onion, celery, garlic, green pepper, and chile pepper. cook over medium-low heat until very lightly browned. Add the tomatoes and cook for 1 minute. Add the rum, potatoes, conch mixture, bay leaf, and thyme to the conch chowder recipe. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 1 hour. Potatoes should be tender.
Discard bay leaf. Stir in the Tabasco sauce, and season with salt and pepper to taste. To serve, sprinkle with fresh cilantro.
About Conch
- Availability: Year-round.
- Source: U.S. wild-caught from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, but U.S. harvest is very limited.
- Taste: Conch has a sweet, slightly smoky flavor, similar to abalone or clam, and an almost crunchy texture. Fresh, farmed conch is sweeter and more tender than frozen, wild conch.
- Texture: Young “thin-lipped” conchs have more tender meat than larger, “thick-lipped” ones.
- Color: Depending on the conch’s size, the meat ranges in color from snow white to a pale, golden orange. The larger the animal, the darker the meat.
- Health Benefits: Queen conch is a good low-fat source of protein. It is high in vitamins E and B12, magnesium, selenium, and folate, but is also high in cholesterol.